Journalist beaten to death in Cambodia

Bangkok, February 7, 2014--Cambodian authorities must identify the
motive behind the killing of a local journalist on February 1 and ensure his
assailants are brought to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said
today. Suon Chan had reported on illegal fishing activities near his village shortly before his
death.

News
accounts reported
that a group of fishermen attacked Suon Chan, reporter for the local-language Meakea Kampuchea newspaper, while he was
outside his home in Peam Chhkork commune, Cholkiri district of central Kampong
Chhnang province. The assailants beat him repeatedly with stones and sticks,
and attacked two of his relatives who came to his aid, the reports said. The
journalist died while headed to a local hospital, according to the Cambodian
Association for the Protection of Journalists.

Suon Chan
had reported on illegal fishing in Peam Chhkork commune, which led to a police
crackdown on the activities, the reports said.

Duong Vuthy, police chief of Peam Chhkork commune, told the Phnom
Penh Post newspaper that Suon Chan's killing was likely motivated by
his reports on illegal fishing. He said the police unit's preliminary
investigations indicated that those involved in the illegal fishing, who were
exposed in Suon Chan's stories, were likely related to the murder.

But Morm Thon, Cholkiri district's police chief, told
Radio Free Asia that initial investigations indicated that Suon Chon's
murder was not related to his reporting on illegal fishing. He said the
investigations had identified three suspects, but that no arrests had been made.

"Journalists in Cambodia who dare to report on illicit activities
are frequently targeted for reprisals without any repercussions for the
perpetrators," said Shawn Crispin, CPJ's senior Southeast Asia representative.
"Cambodian authorities could take a meaningful step toward breaking this cycle
of impunity by identifying the motive behind the murder and apprehending and
punishing Suon Chan's killers to the full extent of the law."

In 2012, Cambodian journalist Hang Serei Odom's body was
discovered in the trunk of his car in Rattanakiri province. Before his death, Oudom
had alleged in his reporting that a military policeman had used military
vehicles to transport illegally cut logs. In August 2013, a Cambodian court
acquitted two suspects, a military police official and his wife, in the murder,
citing a lack of evidence.